Refrigerator door with built-in pizza pocket

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator includes: a drawer or door defining a freezer compartment with a front exterior face and interior face and the drawer or door having a panel cavity between the front exterior face and interior face; a pizza pocket pivotally attached to the interior face and extending into the panel cavity, the pizza pocket is movable between a locked position where access into an interior space of the pizza pocket is denied and an open position where access to the interior space of the pizza pocket is allowed. Alternatively, the pizza pocket may be located within the panel cavity and accessed via a slot located in the upper surface of the drawer/door.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a refrigerator with a pizza pocketbuilt-into a door, for example, a freezer compartment/sectiondoor/drawer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional refrigeration appliances, such as domestic refrigerators,typically have both a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartmentor section. The fresh food compartment is where food items such asfruits, vegetables, and beverages are stored. The freezer compartment iswhere food items that are to be kept in a frozen condition are stored.The refrigerators are provided with refrigeration systems that maintainsthe fresh food compartment at temperatures above 0° C., such as between0.25° C. and 4.5° C. and the freezer compartments at temperatures below0° C., such as between 0° C. and −20° C.

The arrangements of the fresh food and freezer compartments with respectto one another in such refrigerators vary. For example, in some cases,the freezer compartment is located above the fresh food compartment andin other cases the freezer compartment is located below the fresh foodcompartment. Additionally, many modern refrigerators have their freezercompartments and fresh food compartments arranged in a side-by-siderelationship. Whatever arrangement of the freezer compartment and thefresh food compartment is employed, typically, separate access doors areprovided for the compartments so that either compartment can be accessedwithout exposing the other compartment to the ambient air.

Currently, it is difficult to store frozen pizza boxes or any item(e.g., with a large width and small thickness) in a drawer-style freezersection of a bottom mount freezer. There is a need for a storagesolution for pizza boxes (or items with a large width and smallthickness).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A refrigerator includes: a drawer or door defining a freezer compartmentwith a front exterior face and interior face and the drawer or doorhaving a panel cavity between the front exterior face and interior face;a pizza pocket pivotally attached to the interior face and extendinginto the panel cavity, the pizza pocket is movable between a lockedposition where access into an interior space of the pizza pocket isdenied and an open position where access to the interior space of thepizza pocket is allowed. Alternatively, the pizza pocket may be locatedwithin the panel cavity and accessed via a slot located in the uppersurface of the drawer/door.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a formthat is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that thisinvention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities and scale shown.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a prior art household French doorbottom mount refrigeration appliance showing doors of the fresh foodcompartment and drawer of a freezer compartment in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the prior art refrigerationappliance of FIG. 1 showing the doors of the fresh food compartment inopened positions and the drawer of the freezer compartment removed;

FIG. 3 illustrates the inside surface of the door/drawer with theinventive built-in pizza pocket in a closed position;

FIG. 4 illustrates the inside surface of the door/drawer with theinventive built-in pizza pocket in an open position.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the inventive built-inpizza pocket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of a refrigerator or a component thereof now will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wheneverpossible, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawingsto refer to the same or like parts.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a refrigerationappliance in the form of a domestic refrigerator, indicated generally at10. Although the detailed description that follows concerns a domesticrefrigerator 10, the invention can be embodied by refrigerationappliances other than a domestic refrigerator 10. An embodiment isdescribed in detail below, and shown in the figures as a bottom-mountconfiguration of a refrigerator 10, including a fresh food compartment14 disposed vertically above a freezer compartment 12. However, therefrigerator 10 can have any desired configuration including at least afresh food compartment 14 and/or a freezer compartment 12, such as a topmount refrigerator (freezer disposed above the fresh food compartment),a side-by-side refrigerator (fresh food compartment is laterally next tothe freezer compartment), the freezer compartment is located below thefresh food compartment (i.e. a bottom mount refrigerator and French doorrefrigerator), a standalone refrigerator or freezer, etc.

One or more doors 16 shown in FIG. 1 are pivotably coupled to a cabinet19 of the refrigerator 10 to restrict and grant access to the fresh foodcompartment 14. The door 16 can include a single door that spans theentire lateral distance across the entrance to the fresh foodcompartment 14, or can include a pair of French-type doors 16 as shownin FIG. 1 that collectively span the entire lateral distance of theentrance to the fresh food compartment 14 to enclose the fresh foodcompartment 14.

For the latter configuration, a center flip mullion 21 (FIG. 2) ispivotally coupled to at least one of the doors 16 to establish a surfaceagainst which a seal provided to the other one of the doors 16 can sealthe entrance to the fresh food compartment 14 at a location betweenopposing side surfaces 17 (FIG. 2) of the doors 16. The mullion 21 canbe pivotably coupled to the door 16 to pivot between a first orientationthat is substantially parallel to a planar surface of the door 16 whenthe door 16 is closed, and a different orientation when the door 16 isopened. The externally-exposed surface of the center mullion 21 issubstantially parallel to the door 16 when the center mullion 21 is inthe first orientation and forms an angle other than parallel relative tothe door 16 when the center mullion 21 is in the second orientation. Theseal and the externally exposed surface of the mullion 21 cooperateapproximately midway between the lateral sides of the fresh foodcompartment 14.

A dispenser 18 (FIG. 1) for dispensing at least ice pieces, andoptionally water, can be provided on an exterior of one of the doors 16that restricts access to the fresh food compartment 14. The dispenser 18includes an actuator (e.g., lever, switch, proximity sensor, etc.) tocause ice pieces to be dispensed from an ice bin 23 (FIG. 2) of an icemaker 25 disposed within the fresh food compartment 14. Ice pieces fromthe ice bin 23 can exit the ice bin 23 through an aperture 26 and bedelivered to the dispenser 18 via an ice chute 22 (FIG. 2), whichextends at least partially through the door 16 between the dispenser 18and the ice bin 23.

The freezer compartment 12 is arranged vertically beneath the fresh foodcompartment 14. A drawer assembly (not shown) including one or morefreezer baskets (not shown) can be withdrawn from the freezercompartment 12 to grant a user access to food items stored in thefreezer compartment 12. The drawer assembly can be coupled to a freezerdoor 11 that includes a handle 15. When a user grasps the handle 15 andpulls the freezer door 11 open, at least one or more of the freezerbaskets is caused to be at least partially withdrawn from the freezercompartment 12.

In alternative embodiments, the ice maker is located within the freezercompartment. In this configuration, although still disposed within thefreezer compartment, at least the ice maker (and possible an ice bin) ismounted to an interior surface of the freezer door. It is contemplatedthat the ice mold and ice bin can be separate elements, in which oneremains within the freezer compartment and the other is on the freezerdoor.

The freezer compartment 12 is used to freeze and/or maintain articles offood stored in the freezer compartment 12 in a frozen condition. Forthis purpose, the freezer compartment 12 is in thermal communicationwith a freezer evaporator (not shown) that removes thermal energy fromthe freezer compartment 12 to maintain the temperature therein at atemperature of 0° C. or less during operation of the refrigerator 10,preferably between 0° C. and −50° C., more preferably between 0° C. and−30° C. and even more preferably between 0° C. and −20° C.

The refrigerator 10 includes an interior liner 24 (FIG. 2) that definesthe fresh food compartment 14. The fresh food compartment 14 is in theupper portion of the refrigerator 10 in this example and serves tominimize spoiling of articles of food stored therein. The fresh foodcompartment 14 accomplishes this aim by maintaining the temperature inthe fresh food compartment 14 at a cool temperature that is typicallyabove 0° C., so as not to freeze the articles of food in the fresh foodcompartment 14. It is contemplated that the cool temperature preferablyis between 0° C. and 10° C., more preferably between 0° C. and 5° C. andeven more preferably between 0.25° C. and 4.5° C.

According to some embodiments, cool air from which thermal energy hasbeen removed by the freezer evaporator can also be blown into the freshfood compartment 14 to maintain the temperature therein greater than 0°C. preferably between 0° C. and 10° C., more preferably between 0° C.and 5° C. and even more preferably between 0.25° C. and 4.5° C. Foralternate embodiments, a separate fresh food evaporator can optionallybe dedicated to separately maintaining the temperature within the freshfood compartment 14 independent of the freezer compartment 12.

According to an embodiment, the temperature in the fresh foodcompartment 14 can be maintained at a cool temperature within a closetolerance of a range between 0° C. and 4.5° C., including any subrangesand any individual temperatures falling with that range. For example,other embodiments can optionally maintain the cool temperature withinthe fresh food compartment 14 within a reasonably close tolerance of atemperature between 0.25° C. and 4° C.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pizza pocket 100 will be described infurther detail. In general, the refrigerator has a drawer or door 102defining a freezer compartment with a front exterior face 104 andinterior face 106 and the drawer or door 102 having a panel cavity 108(not visible) between the front exterior face 104 and interior face 106;a pizza pocket 100 pivotally attached to the interior face 106 andextending into the panel cavity 108, the pizza pocket 100 is movablebetween a locked position (FIG. 3) where access into an interior space110 of the pizza pocket 100 is denied and an open (FIG. 4) positionwhere access to the interior space 110 of the pizza pocket 100 isallowed. While this embodiment is illustrated with access via a hingedcover 112, it will be evident to those of ordinary skill that the cover112 may also be moved via slides or rails (not shown).

The pizza pocket 100 allows a pizza to be stored vertically (standing onan edge) within the interior space 110 of the pocket 100. In general, apizza has a width (diameter) greater than its depth, and the interiorspace 110 is configured to accommodate such shapes. The interior space110 may extend, in part or entirely, into the panel cavity so that spaceis efficiently used. The pocket 100 may have a covering 112 thatpivotally affixed to the interior face 106, for example via a hinge 114.The covering may have a generally rectangular shape with an open side(backside facing the interior surface and/or a topside to allow thepizza to be slipped into the pocket). The pocket 110 may be lockable inthe closed position by a locking mechanism 116.

Panel cavity 108 defines the space between the front exterior face 104and interior face 106. This space may be filled with any conventionalinsulation material. When the pizza pocket is provided, this space 108may be a conventional vacuum insulated panel (VIP). The VIP allows agreater amount of space to be used for pizza storage, but maintain theinsulation capacity of the door/drawer.

The pocket 100 may also have a liner (not shown). The liner, made of anydisposable material, for example a polyolefin plastic film, isconfigured to fit within the pocket. The liner may be used to facilitatecleaning of the pocket.

Hinge 114 may be any hinge. In one embodiment, hinge 114 includes a stopthat limits rotation of the covering 112. The cover only needs to openenough to allow insertion and/or retrieval of the pizza. In someembodiments, that may be 5-10 degrees. The hinge may be located anywhere between the covering 112 and the interior face 106. In someembodiments, the hinge 114 is located along the bottom of the pizzapocket 100.

Locking mechanism 116 may be any locking mechanism that holds thecovering 112 in the closed position. In some embodiments, the lockingmechanism may include a pawl 118. Other mechanisms include, for example,detents and/or clips. The locking mechanism 116 may be located anywherebetween the covering 112 and the interior face 106. In some embodiments,the locking mechanism 116 may be located along the top portion of thecovering 112 or the uppermost side portions of the covering 112.

In FIG. 5, an alternate embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, thepizza pocket 100 is recessed within the drawer/door 102 between thefront face 104 and the interior face 106, but any pizza is accessed froma slot 122 in the upper surface 120 of the drawer/door 102. Slot 122 maybe covered with a lid 124 (hinged or slidable). In some embodiments, thehinge is located adjacent the interior face to reduce the chance ofjamming. Any pizza stored in the cavity may be retrieved, for example,by mechanical action (e.g., spring loaded—like a toaster, or via a wormgear) or pulling a liner, such as discussed above.

The present invention may be embodied in other forms without departingfrom the spirit and the essential attributes thereof, and, accordingly,reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to theforegoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

1. A refrigerator comprises: a drawer or door defining a freezercompartment with a front exterior face and an interior face and thedrawer or door having a panel cavity between the front exterior face andinterior face; a pizza pocket pivotally attached to the interior faceand extending into the panel cavity, the pizza pocket is movable betweena locked position where access into an interior space of the pizzapocket is denied and an open position where access to the interior spaceof the pizza pocket is allowed, wherein the refrigerator furthercomprises an insulation panel located within the panel cavity andadjacent to a rear side of the pizza pocket, and wherein the insulationpanel is a vacuum insulated panel. 2-3. (canceled)
 4. The refrigeratorof claim 1 further comprising a hinge located at a bottom edge portionof the pizza pocket.
 5. The refrigerator of claim 4 wherein the hingefurther comprises and rotation limiting mechanism.
 6. The refrigeratorof claim 1 further comprising a locking mechanism adapted to hold thepizza pocket in a closed position.
 7. The refrigerator of claim 1wherein the pizza pocket further includes a removable liner.
 8. Therefrigerator of claim 7 wherein the liner is disposable.
 9. Arefrigerator comprises: a drawer or door defining a freezer compartmentwith a front exterior face and an interior face and the drawer or doorhaving a panel cavity defined inside the drawer or door between thefront exterior face and the interior face; and a pizza pocket is locatedin the panel cavity and contents of the pizza pocket are accessed via aslot located in the drawer or door.
 10. The refrigerator of claim 9further comprising a lid covering the slot.
 11. The refrigerator ofclaim 10 wherein the lid is moved via a hinge or a slide.
 12. Therefrigerator of claim 11 wherein the hinge is adjacent the interiorface.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 9 wherein the slot is located on anupper surface of the drawer or door between the front exterior face andthe interior face.